Successful treatment with levothyroxine

Successful treatment with levothyroxine for idiopathic hypersomnia patients with subclinical hypothyroidism
General Hospital Psychiatry, 03/24/09

Shinno H et al. - Hypersomnia may be associated with subclinical hypothyroidism, although few abnormalities in physical and neurological examinations are present. Methods

• Sleep architecture and subjective daytime sleepiness were estimated by polysomnography (PSG) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), respectively.
• Diagnoses were made using the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 2nd Edition criteria for idiopathic hypersomnia with long sleep time.

Results

• PSG demonstrated a short sleep latency, a prolonged total sleep time and normal proportions of all non-rapid eye movement (REM) and REM sleep stages.
• Nocturnal PSG excluded other causes of EDS.
• No medical, neurological and mental disorders were present.
• Mildly elevated thyrotropin, despite free thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) estimates within their reference ranges, which is a characteristic of latent hypothyroidism.
• Levothyroxine (25g/day) was administrated orally. After treatment with levothyroxine for 8 weeks, the mean daily sleep times decreased.
• EDS was also improved, and a significant decrease in the ESS score was observed. Levothyroxine was effective for their hypersomnia and well tolerated.

 

 

 

Ziprasidone as an adjuvant for clozapine- or olanzapine-associated medical morbidity in chronic schizophrenia
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 03/23/09

Henderson DC et al. - The addition of 160 mg/day of ziprasidone was well tolerated but did not produce significant improvement in fasting glucose, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia or lead to weight loss in olanzapine- or clozapine-treated subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

 

 

 

 

Blocked Enzyme Reverses Schizophrenia-like Symptoms
ScienceDaily, 03/20/09

Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have found that inhibiting a key brain enzyme ireversed schizophrenia-like symptoms. Better understanding of the relationship could lead to new drug treatments for schizophrenia, the severe brain disorder that affects about 1 percent of the population and is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, poor social and emotional functioning and disorganized thoughts.